The essentials
- Usual timing
- From age 4, within the 4–6-year routine window
- How to get it
- Ask a primary care provider or public health unit about local appointments and funding.
Tdap-IPV reinforces protection against tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio after the infant series. It is usually given at the same visit as MMRV.
School status
All four diseases are on Ontario’s school-required list, unless a valid exemption applies.
Side effects & precautions
Soreness, redness, swelling or fever can occur. A larger local swelling sometimes follows a booster. Side-effect guidance
A severe allergic reaction is rare. Tell the vaccinator about a severe previous reaction or a neurological condition so the appropriate product and timing can be reviewed.
Call 911 for trouble breathing or swelling of the tongue or throat. Not sure whether a reaction is expected? Contact a healthcare provider or call 811 for advice. Seek care promptly if symptoms are worrying or getting worse.
Useful to know
If the earlier series is incomplete
The routine booster is not a catch-up plan. A provider must check previous doses and spacing before deciding what to give.
What is in it?
This vaccine contains no live germs. “IPV” means inactivated polio vaccine. The Tdap booster given later does not include polio. Vaccine components
Ingredients & more detail
Check the exact product
Ask the clinic for the product name. Its official Canadian product information (product monograph) lists ingredients, packaging, side effects and precautions. This page is a short overview, not a complete safety list.
Find a product in Health Canada’s Drug Product Database
Boostrix-Polio — Canadian product monograph (PDF). This is one product example; confirm which product the clinic uses.
Your next step
Bring the immunization record and a list of questions to the visit. Ask which doses count, what comes next and how to report new doses to public health.
Sources and references (6)
Program details can change. How this guide is reviewed